It can be a little distracting talking media reform sometimes. This is because ultimately if we are going to grow a movement we have to be able to relate to the wider public.
Our job is made harder by the fact that the mainstream media has so far done a sterling job in leaving the real issues off the table when it comes to issues effecting their own industry. Meaning everyday people while hating mainstream media, have little understanding of the issues that confront the movement for change.
One area where this has been clearest is Net Neutrality.
For the uninitiated, Net Neutrality is about keeping the internet as an more or less equal space for websites and content. Some big companies (particularly Comcast in the States) are trying to (with the help of the overwhemingly supportive Republicans) slow down all content that does not pay special fees meaning the internet is turned into a two tier affair where access to mainstream corporate news sites would load up instantly, while access to news sites like DemocracyNOW! and TheREALnews would be delayed making it even harder for them to attract extra viewers and revenue.
Need a deeper understanding? Read what the Huffington has to say on the matter here
In response, Rock The Net, a cd featuring the likes of Wilco, Bright Eyes and We Might be Giants, has been produced by artists concerned about this clear case of the corporate takeover of the internet. All funds raised will go to the Save The Internet campaign. Check it out here http://www.thirstyear.com/rockthenet/
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Media Needs To Promote Climate Solutions
The fight against climate change is one of the greatest fights our planet has ever faced. The media still has the attention of the wider public. The responsibility of the media is therefore huge.
The way the media portrays the issues of climate change is therefore paramount in what path is taken in attacking the issue. We need real debate, as well as a media that will reveal the horrible truths of climate change, while not forgetting to tell us about those advancements that can give us hope. But will our media, with its own corporate backers to appease and look alike governments to cover really get to the real story we need... Time will tell.
It's a huge issue that needs to be addressed ASAP, even the Colombia Journalism Review is discussing it. As you can check out at: http://www.cjr.org/feature/climate_change_now_what.php
The way the media portrays the issues of climate change is therefore paramount in what path is taken in attacking the issue. We need real debate, as well as a media that will reveal the horrible truths of climate change, while not forgetting to tell us about those advancements that can give us hope. But will our media, with its own corporate backers to appease and look alike governments to cover really get to the real story we need... Time will tell.
It's a huge issue that needs to be addressed ASAP, even the Colombia Journalism Review is discussing it. As you can check out at: http://www.cjr.org/feature/climate_change_now_what.php
Iraq War Censorship Out of Control
The Iraq war has been met with fierce censorship from United States army officials keen to see the real story kept away from the U.S public.
Central to this has been the story of freelance journalist Zoriah Millar, who was barred from covering the marines after releasing photos of a suicide attack on U.S. marines on June 26.
Millar's decision to post the photos on his website resulted in him being forbidden from working in the marine controlled areas of the country. The United States Marine commander in Iraq, however, is still trying to have Millar formally banned from United States military facilities throughout the world.
Even the New York Times were forced to admit that media coverage of Iraq is turning out to be the "opposite extreme" of the Vietnam War, which is often descibed as the "television war".
We should not underestimate our need for quality and reliable information to make the right decisions and the importance of Millar's photos are only fragment of what we should be expecting before allowing our troops to say in Iraq one moment longer.
An interesting point to remember in a time when the worlds eyes are on China and assessing their censorship, while conveniently forgetting our own.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Central to this has been the story of freelance journalist Zoriah Millar, who was barred from covering the marines after releasing photos of a suicide attack on U.S. marines on June 26.
Millar's decision to post the photos on his website resulted in him being forbidden from working in the marine controlled areas of the country. The United States Marine commander in Iraq, however, is still trying to have Millar formally banned from United States military facilities throughout the world.
Even the New York Times were forced to admit that media coverage of Iraq is turning out to be the "opposite extreme" of the Vietnam War, which is often descibed as the "television war".
We should not underestimate our need for quality and reliable information to make the right decisions and the importance of Millar's photos are only fragment of what we should be expecting before allowing our troops to say in Iraq one moment longer.
An interesting point to remember in a time when the worlds eyes are on China and assessing their censorship, while conveniently forgetting our own.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
6,000 U.S. Newspaper Jobs Lost!...Now What?
Today, DemocracyNOW! features an interesting roundtable on the media crisis .
The roundtable involves Linda Jue, former head of the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter; Chris Hedges, a former reporter for the New York Times and now with the Nation Institute; and Bernie Lunzer, the new president of the Newspaper Guild.
One of the biggest issues to come out of the discussion was the question of how new media models currently being promoted on the intenet can be funded in order to be able to offer competitive high level journalism.
Chris Hedges, while clearly very pessimistic about the future of journalism, understands the importance of decent budgets in being able to provide high quality journalism. The mainstream media has straggled at the sight of new technology, while alternative sources are held back by lack of resources.
The question is ultimately around what value will our society put into journalism in the future. Will either corporations or governments make the important investments needed to provide this and what will they expect in return?
These are all important issues that need to be discussed within the media reform movement as we fight towards a better (quality, structured and funded) media environment.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/29/newspapers_suffer_spate_of_layoffs_decline
The roundtable involves Linda Jue, former head of the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter; Chris Hedges, a former reporter for the New York Times and now with the Nation Institute; and Bernie Lunzer, the new president of the Newspaper Guild.
One of the biggest issues to come out of the discussion was the question of how new media models currently being promoted on the intenet can be funded in order to be able to offer competitive high level journalism.
Chris Hedges, while clearly very pessimistic about the future of journalism, understands the importance of decent budgets in being able to provide high quality journalism. The mainstream media has straggled at the sight of new technology, while alternative sources are held back by lack of resources.
The question is ultimately around what value will our society put into journalism in the future. Will either corporations or governments make the important investments needed to provide this and what will they expect in return?
These are all important issues that need to be discussed within the media reform movement as we fight towards a better (quality, structured and funded) media environment.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/29/newspapers_suffer_spate_of_layoffs_decline
Nine Throws Axe on News
Nine's decision to axe its Sunday and Nightline news programmes has sent revirbirations around Australian newsrooms this week.
It causes also could not have been simpler, with Nine bosses clearly labelling profitability and a competitive marketplace as being the fallguys for the shows, after over a decade on air for both shows.
The move marks a clear trend of commercial stations cutting back on news content and being slow in their willingness to take on new organisational models demanded by the new technological age we are entering into.
It causes also could not have been simpler, with Nine bosses clearly labelling profitability and a competitive marketplace as being the fallguys for the shows, after over a decade on air for both shows.
The move marks a clear trend of commercial stations cutting back on news content and being slow in their willingness to take on new organisational models demanded by the new technological age we are entering into.
Friday, July 25, 2008
U.S. Unity Conference Takes on the Media, Race & Politics
Over 10,000 journalists gathered for the Unity Conference in Chicago to take on the issues of Race, Politics and the Media.
The Conference brought together members of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association.
For the latest visit http://unitynews.org/
For a roundtable discusion on the topics of discussion this weekend on Democracy NOW!: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/25/race_politics_and_the_media_a
**Update**
Senegalese President Brings Controversy to Unity08
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has caused plenty of controversy prior to his address to the Unity Conference in Chicago.
Souleymane Jules Diop, a Senagalese journalist, and Wade opponent, currently living in Canada, was punched in the face by a supporter of President Wade. The protest and counter-protest outside involved up to 100 people.
Wade's involvement in the G8 earlier this month has, however, lead to the Senegalese Democratic Party being viewed, by the Europe and the United States, as a leading democratic light in Africa.
The Conference brought together members of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association.
For the latest visit http://unitynews.org/
For a roundtable discusion on the topics of discussion this weekend on Democracy NOW!: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/25/race_politics_and_the_media_a
**Update**
Senegalese President Brings Controversy to Unity08
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has caused plenty of controversy prior to his address to the Unity Conference in Chicago.
Souleymane Jules Diop, a Senagalese journalist, and Wade opponent, currently living in Canada, was punched in the face by a supporter of President Wade. The protest and counter-protest outside involved up to 100 people.
Wade's involvement in the G8 earlier this month has, however, lead to the Senegalese Democratic Party being viewed, by the Europe and the United States, as a leading democratic light in Africa.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Stokes moves in on West Australian
The Australian Seven Network, owned by Kerry Stokes, has increased its stake in The West Australian Newspaper to 22.3%, with a buy up of 4 million shares today.
The buy up follows a failed attempt to divide the present WAN board and win Stokes a seat in April. The implications of the move on the media barren west coast seem clear enough for anyone interested in media diversity.
Also clear is the way it brings into sharp focus the cross media ownership restrictions that the Howard government was able to abolish that made Stokes' expansion possible. We need the Rudd Government to finally take the chronic state of Australian media seriously. But it seems for now, it suits their purpose of quietening dissent...
The buy up follows a failed attempt to divide the present WAN board and win Stokes a seat in April. The implications of the move on the media barren west coast seem clear enough for anyone interested in media diversity.
Also clear is the way it brings into sharp focus the cross media ownership restrictions that the Howard government was able to abolish that made Stokes' expansion possible. We need the Rudd Government to finally take the chronic state of Australian media seriously. But it seems for now, it suits their purpose of quietening dissent...
Monday, July 21, 2008
What coverage can we expect in Beijing?
What games are the world going to see? That is the biggest question on the minds of millions across the globe in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Beijing. As the New York Times' Brian Stelter explains in "Networks Fight Shorter Olympic Leash", this is a question that is still yet to be answered.
NBC, who has paid a record amount for the rights and expects to rake in $1 billion in advertising is set to find itself in a compromised position, when, not if, protest actions take place during the upcoming games. NBC, is owned by General Electric, a company that is continuing to deepen its investments in China. NBC has already started censuring its own journalists, in order to halt questioning over what is expected of them in Beijing.
China has been slow moving in handing out any rights to media companies. They are worried about the Tibet protesters that plagued their torch relay as well as China's underclasses which have been hit hard by the authoritarian capitalist regime. What we all want to know is whether the media will report or not report what is going on outside the stadiums and if so, whom will do the reporting? Will those that have the most to lose (like NBC) hold back and be upstaged by lesser known media outlets? Who will make the gains and who will fall by the wayside?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/olympics/21nbc.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Stay Tuned...
Update 24/07/08: Chinese Authorities have declared special legalised "protest areas", that may be used for approved protest actions during the upcoming games. Similar measures have been enforced at most past games, so we'll have to wait and see how it is enforced. The IOC and Chinese authorities have been quick to point out that this allowance does not permit violations of the Olympic Charter, which forbids "political, religious or racial propaganda... in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas". More @ Huffington Post
NBC, who has paid a record amount for the rights and expects to rake in $1 billion in advertising is set to find itself in a compromised position, when, not if, protest actions take place during the upcoming games. NBC, is owned by General Electric, a company that is continuing to deepen its investments in China. NBC has already started censuring its own journalists, in order to halt questioning over what is expected of them in Beijing.
China has been slow moving in handing out any rights to media companies. They are worried about the Tibet protesters that plagued their torch relay as well as China's underclasses which have been hit hard by the authoritarian capitalist regime. What we all want to know is whether the media will report or not report what is going on outside the stadiums and if so, whom will do the reporting? Will those that have the most to lose (like NBC) hold back and be upstaged by lesser known media outlets? Who will make the gains and who will fall by the wayside?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/olympics/21nbc.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Stay Tuned...
Update 24/07/08: Chinese Authorities have declared special legalised "protest areas", that may be used for approved protest actions during the upcoming games. Similar measures have been enforced at most past games, so we'll have to wait and see how it is enforced. The IOC and Chinese authorities have been quick to point out that this allowance does not permit violations of the Olympic Charter, which forbids "political, religious or racial propaganda... in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas". More @ Huffington Post
Saturday, July 19, 2008
War Spin Denies Public Truth
In "Stifling soldiers of Spin", The Age's Tom Hyland explains how closely controlled the coverage of the Wars on Afghanistan and Iraq really are. While the Australian Defence Forces do not allow journalists to be embedded, they allow jounalists to do short term "guided tours" where they are constantly tended to by ADF staff intent on getting their censored stories into the public consciousness. This is lead by the $22 million Public Affairs team that encompasses 200 staff working on what they call "strategic shaping tools", or what Hyland describes as "Spin". Add to this the fact Australia has no correspondants based in Afghanistan and the fact that the media landscape Australia offers so little in the way of diversity and you have a recipe for the failure of truth.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/stifling-soldiers-of-spin-20080719-3hvn.html
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/stifling-soldiers-of-spin-20080719-3hvn.html
Social Movements and the Rebuilding of the Media
William K. Carroll and Robert A. Hackett were responsible for writing "Remaking Media: The Struggle to Democratize Public Communications" (2006). The book discusses the need for democratic media and stresses the central role social movements must play to promote media reform, as an important demand for both their short term and long term goals. It also discusses the ways community media, as it is currently understood, can become more democratic and act as a special aid towards media reform demands.
A talk on some of the basic premises of the book can be read at:
http://stc.uws.edu.au/gmjau/vol1_2008/hackett_carrol.html
Find cheap prices on this book at BooksPrice
http://www.booksprice.com
A talk on some of the basic premises of the book can be read at:
http://stc.uws.edu.au/gmjau/vol1_2008/hackett_carrol.html
Find cheap prices on this book at BooksPrice
http://www.booksprice.com
Friday, July 18, 2008
Melbourne Writers Fest Brings the Politics
The Melbourne Writers Festival is set to be held 22-31 August. Heading up the awesome line-up will be some great political speakers including Germaine Greer and John Pilger.
Greer will speak on rage and its uses in enacting social change on Friday 22 August at 7pm at Melbourne Town Hall. Pilger will address two talks; one on Power, Propaganda and the Silence of Writers, and the other on the global cost of free trade.
There is also talks on feminism, Aboriginal affairs, Rwandan genocide, corporate media, climate change and plenty more.
So if you're around Melbourne in late August, it will be definitely worth a look. Stay tuned to the MediaVIGILANTE for all the updates from the fest!
Visit http://www.mwf.com.au/ for more info and tickets to the big events.
Greer will speak on rage and its uses in enacting social change on Friday 22 August at 7pm at Melbourne Town Hall. Pilger will address two talks; one on Power, Propaganda and the Silence of Writers, and the other on the global cost of free trade.
There is also talks on feminism, Aboriginal affairs, Rwandan genocide, corporate media, climate change and plenty more.
So if you're around Melbourne in late August, it will be definitely worth a look. Stay tuned to the MediaVIGILANTE for all the updates from the fest!
Visit http://www.mwf.com.au/ for more info and tickets to the big events.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
GLW Publishes First Arabic Supplement: The Flame
Green Left Weekly, Australia's weekly alternative newspaper, has released its first Arabic Supplement, The Flame with issue #759 (July 23 edition).
Created with the help of progressive Sudanese activists, the supplement is aimed at engaging and involving the growing Arabic speaking community in Austalia. "The Flame" will cover news from the Arabic-speaking world as well as a progressive Arabic view on Australian political issues.
At the time of the 2001 Census there were 209,372 Arabic-speakers at home in Australia. Arabic is the second most commonly spoken non-English language in Sydney. The Lebanese community in Australia is the largest and earliest arrivees within the Arabic speaking community. In addition to Lebanese, the Arabic community includes Egyptians, Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Sudanese. Many ethnicities also speak Arabic in addition to their language because they have lived in Arabic countries. They include Armenian, Kurds, Assyrians, Mandaeens and many more. The Arabic speaking community in Australia is increasing, with more arriving from Iraq and Sudan.
To find out more or get involved visit http://www.greenleft.org.au/
Created with the help of progressive Sudanese activists, the supplement is aimed at engaging and involving the growing Arabic speaking community in Austalia. "The Flame" will cover news from the Arabic-speaking world as well as a progressive Arabic view on Australian political issues.
At the time of the 2001 Census there were 209,372 Arabic-speakers at home in Australia. Arabic is the second most commonly spoken non-English language in Sydney. The Lebanese community in Australia is the largest and earliest arrivees within the Arabic speaking community. In addition to Lebanese, the Arabic community includes Egyptians, Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Sudanese. Many ethnicities also speak Arabic in addition to their language because they have lived in Arabic countries. They include Armenian, Kurds, Assyrians, Mandaeens and many more. The Arabic speaking community in Australia is increasing, with more arriving from Iraq and Sudan.
To find out more or get involved visit http://www.greenleft.org.au/
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Moyers on how Corporate Media Kills Democracy
Bill Moyers addressed the National Conference for Media Reform last month in Minneapolis. In his speech, he told how the current media landscape is creating false consent in society and therefore helping to destroy democracy and give more power to the corporate elites, highlighting the current struggles for net neutrality against ComCast in the states.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3790/is_the_fourth_estate_a_fifth_column/
Bill Moyers hosts the Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and is the President of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3790/is_the_fourth_estate_a_fifth_column/
Bill Moyers hosts the Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and is the President of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy.
Geelong Addy Tries To Reinvigorate Dying Format...One Faultering Inch at a time!
Under headlines of "Readers Sack the Editor", one could be confused into believing that media democracy is just around the corner. But in a piece of Public Relations gold, the Geelong Advertiser has been able to gain mass acclaim, by not doing much at all.
The paper has started to allow its readers to vote on front page stories from a list decided on by the paper's editorial committee. It is hoped the campaign can help excite readers into buying the local paper because it would feature the stories they want to read about on the front page. This is an extremely corporate friendly and ultimately shallow view of how to gain reader empowerment, especially in this age of web 2.0.
Over recent months, the Advertiser has embarked on what it describes as a campaign focus. The key plank to think has been the "Just Think" Campaign against Violent crime. One of the key demands of this campaign has been to get more police on Geelong's streets. This has been a failed strategy. This is because in an effort to get more cops on the street, the Addy has forgotten to address the causes of a lot of crime and violent crime. Central to this are the social factors that surround us all. Geelong is home to some of the most underprivileged people in the state. Until these social problems are addressed, all the cops in the world won't stop violence. They will only heighten tension and make the broader community feel like we are living in some kind of police state.
So one must ask who is the Geelong Addy really serving? Are they really interested in media democracy? It seems that all they are serving is their own bottom lines while doing as little as possible to change their top-down approach to journalism. Let me know what you think.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24031377-13480,00.html
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/15/16082_news_pf.html
The paper has started to allow its readers to vote on front page stories from a list decided on by the paper's editorial committee. It is hoped the campaign can help excite readers into buying the local paper because it would feature the stories they want to read about on the front page. This is an extremely corporate friendly and ultimately shallow view of how to gain reader empowerment, especially in this age of web 2.0.
Over recent months, the Advertiser has embarked on what it describes as a campaign focus. The key plank to think has been the "Just Think" Campaign against Violent crime. One of the key demands of this campaign has been to get more police on Geelong's streets. This has been a failed strategy. This is because in an effort to get more cops on the street, the Addy has forgotten to address the causes of a lot of crime and violent crime. Central to this are the social factors that surround us all. Geelong is home to some of the most underprivileged people in the state. Until these social problems are addressed, all the cops in the world won't stop violence. They will only heighten tension and make the broader community feel like we are living in some kind of police state.
So one must ask who is the Geelong Addy really serving? Are they really interested in media democracy? It seems that all they are serving is their own bottom lines while doing as little as possible to change their top-down approach to journalism. Let me know what you think.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24031377-13480,00.html
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/15/16082_news_pf.html
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
My time at Climate Camp
The lack of posts over the last week was all thanks to my involvement in the first Australian Climate Camp in Newcastle. We were successfully able to disrupt the coal chain for over six hours. You'll be able to read about it over at my Punk Politic Blog http://punkpolitic.blogspot.com really soon. But be sure to check out the alternative media's coverage at http://sydney.indymedia.org.au and http://www.engagemedia.org .
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
O'Reilly's Producer Gets Slammed!
In what was the clear highlight of the recent National Conference for Media Reform in Minnesota, Bill O'Reilly's (of Fox News shame) Producer get journalistically slammed by Bill Moyers (from the Bill Moyers Journal on PBS) for his Pro-War sympathies.
Luckily some guerilla reporters were close by and able to record it and therefore expose the sly tactics adopted by Fox News as they attempted to "EXPOSE" a media reform conference for being partisan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-vrcbHJVA
Luckily some guerilla reporters were close by and able to record it and therefore expose the sly tactics adopted by Fox News as they attempted to "EXPOSE" a media reform conference for being partisan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-vrcbHJVA
Right Wing Rails Against the Weather
Ever thought your television weather reports lacked a bit of context? In "Weather Reports are Missing the Story", Amy Goodman explains how the lack of context in weather reports reinforces the idea climate change is disconnected from our current weather patterns. It seems that for the right wing, even the weather could be termed as being "left-wing"!
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/6/19/amy_goodmans_new_column_weather_reports_are_missing_the_story
Amy Goodman, is a Presenter on Democracy Now on the U.S. Pacifica Network and was a key speaker at the National Conference for Media Reform in Minnesota.
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/6/19/amy_goodmans_new_column_weather_reports_are_missing_the_story
Amy Goodman, is a Presenter on Democracy Now on the U.S. Pacifica Network and was a key speaker at the National Conference for Media Reform in Minnesota.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Tim Blair, Andrew Bolt...You are being Watched!!
Tim Blair and Andrew Bolt...Even their names repulse me. "No, they're not not Journos!" I scream, to anybody that cares. In fact they're far worse. They're right wing columnists at Murdoch's Sydney's Daily Telegraph and Melbourne's Herald Sun respectively. Nothing seems sacred for these two men, that continue to deny climate change or an Australian Aboriginal genocide even happened among other right wing conspiracies...Yet they continue to be employed by two of Australia's most highly circulated papers (yes, I'm disturbed too.).
Luckily, the people over at "The Blair/Bolt Watch Project" have been monitoring the ramblings of these two men so that we don't have to!!
http://blairboltwatch.wordpress.com/
Luckily, the people over at "The Blair/Bolt Watch Project" have been monitoring the ramblings of these two men so that we don't have to!!
http://blairboltwatch.wordpress.com/
W.A. Journos Promised Shield Laws
The Western Australian Labor Government are promising Journalists shield laws if they are re-elected. Currently Journalists face being brought before secret inquiries and can face three years in jail or $60,000 fines for refusing to reveal sources. It is hoped the new shield laws will prevent a repeat of the raid on the Western Australian newspaper office earlier this year.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23979268-5013871,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23979268-5013871,00.html
Cops Overload on PR "Image Corrections"
In "PR for police spins to $10m", The Australian newspaper journo Natalie O'Brien reveals the exorbitant public relations bills that Australia's Police Forces are willing to pay out in order to "correct" their image in the media. The Police know the power of PR in helping to improve their image in the wider community. This kind of report goes some way to helping readers to understand the pro-cop bias that exists in much of the mainstream media.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23979270-2702,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23979270-2702,00.html
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Media Concentration and the hopeless state of ACMA
In Taming the Watchdogs of Media Concentration, Sean Condon discusses the further concentration of the Media in Australia, Canada and the U.S. over recent years. Condon shows how these attacks on the media have shown the hopeless state of the media regulation authorities (ACMA- Australian Communication and Media Authority- in Australia). A state of affairs which limits the ability of the public to recieve diversity of opinion.
http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/72/Taming_the_Watchdogs_of_Media_Concentration.html
Adbusters is a magazine of cultural dissent that is well known for its ability of popularising the issues of media reform and relating them to a younger audience. Sean Condon is a senior editor at Adbusters.
http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/72/Taming_the_Watchdogs_of_Media_Concentration.html
Adbusters is a magazine of cultural dissent that is well known for its ability of popularising the issues of media reform and relating them to a younger audience. Sean Condon is a senior editor at Adbusters.
Green Parties and the Media
In "Corporate Media Greens", Michael Barker addresses the issue of how Green Parties have ignored the issues surrounding Media Reform and how this has been to their peril. Central to this has been the lack of attention to the media reform issue by the Australian Greens, which I hope to address in future posts....
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/14266
Michael Barker, is a doctoral candidate from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia and spoke at the Climate Change, Social Change Conference in Sydney earlier this year.
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/14266
Michael Barker, is a doctoral candidate from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia and spoke at the Climate Change, Social Change Conference in Sydney earlier this year.
Media Reform as a Means of Social Change
Many of us have laundry lists of complaints against the media. This has mainly come from the mainstream media’s, lack there of and false, reporting on the issues that directly affect our work in the social movements. But what of media reform as a means of social change? In this piece, I hope to show that we can use media reform as a means of bettering the media environment and therefore grow the power of our own message and build our social movements.
Last month, over 3,500 people attended the National Media Reform Conference in the United States. It showed the growth in the dissenting voices willing to stand up to the mainstream media, the Bush administration and their corporate buddies in the States.
The movement has opened a space for debate, not just about how media is run but also more generally about how society is run as a whole. Many journalists are re-examining the control of the media and the values we hold for humanity. This has opened up a space for the social movements to influence the debate to not just aim for liberal reforms, but to see it as a part of a broader structural change that we need in society.
What is media reform?
The key areas being addressed by the media reform movement at present are:
- Legislating to end media consolidation and monopolistic tendencies
- Demanding that the broader public interest be served by media outlets
- More support for localized services representing diverse community voices
- fund public media properly
- fight for net neutrality and save the internet from corporate takeover
- expose corporate media and fake news
What can Media Reform achieve?
Opening up the media environment will allow the possibility for more messages to pass in to the public domain. The above demands will help bring alternative media into the everyday consciousness. This will show up the contradictions in corporate media and ultimately it can help promote further demands of community ownership of media and a changing in the role of journalists and media organisations from controllers of the news to enablers of public discussion. This has flow on effect, in getting people to think about how life in a capitalist state does not fulfill the needs of the people. This is important to Australians because we have one of the most consolidated media landscapes in the world.
Media reform is a huge issue that affects the entire community. It affects the community’s right to know as well as the right to become a part of the debate in society. However, this mass support has been held back by the current capitalist conception of journalism. Far from a “free market of ideas”, mainstream journalism today is a controlled entity. This allows for easier manipulation by the corporates that pay the journalists their wages. This has resulted in a media landscape obsessed with celebrity, crime and sex, and this is just in their coverage of parliamentary politics!
It is important that we do not look on this issue as simply a liberal demand. As Trotsky tells us in the Transitional Program, these issues can not only be pushed to create change in our media, but to take steps towards a truely democratic world.
Venezuela
The media reform debate directly affects the debate surrounding the current advances of the revolution in Venezuela. Contrary to what is printed in the mainstream press, many reformers are becoming convinced by the actions of the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela. When the Venezuelan government decided to not renew the licence of a coup plotting corporate TV station (that restarted on cable!), a debate broke out in the alternative media sphere.
For example, In Adbusters an article appeared condemning the decision. In the subsequent issues many letters were published by the magazine criticizing the hypocrisy of such a decision by a magazine that calls for an end to lowest common denominator journalism that is being dished up by the corporate press. Adbusters allowed the debate to happen in a way which wouldn’t have happened in the corporate media. Two issues later, this resulted in a positive article on Venezuela being printed. Put simply not everyone in the media is ready to simply accept the right wing mainstream reporting backed up by the National Endowment for Democracy aligned organisations like Reporters without Borders and Human Rights Watch. Radical Canadian writer Naomi Klein echoed this sentiment at length in her latest book- The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. This is also shown in the work of U.S. based media advocacy organisation FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) and their popular magazine: Extra.
It is important we realise the money Venezuela has put into community media as a means of building a real sense of community throughout Venezuela. Our own government, on the other hand, continued to cut funding to public and community media. This has resulted in community TV stations not being able to make the switch to Digital TV and condemning them to certain death (as we have already started to see with Access31 in Perth shutting down and Briz31 in Brisbane on its last legs). These decisions have been a conscious decision by the powers that be in order to stifle debate. Why does the government need a propaganda ministry, when the corporate media can already do a good enough job of keeping people quiet?
The Present Juncture
This issue is especially important now because we are at an important juncture in time. Digital TV is just kicking off. Politicians are weighing up whether they can get away with enforcing attacks on net neutrality. A scary vision at a time when the internet is increasingly being used in more diverse and interesting ways to provide alternative news to the mainstream. An alternative vision to this exists. It’s all about giving the media back to the people to serve the interest of the community. It has to reinvigorate community which is all about intensifying real community debate. It is all about changing the nature of journalism and journalists.
The Here and Now of Media Reform
So what role do we have here and now? There are a bunch of possibilities of how we can help build the media reform movement in Australia. It’s all about supporting radical writers, creating more space for critiques of the media and encouraging media related demands at rallies. We should also continue trying to get more people involved in telling their own stories through the many forms of alternative media. Also, we want to try and grow the links between alt. media outlets. In doing this we also want to aim to build and extend the links between other alt media and the social movements while democratising their processes to allow maximum participation.
These are all small steps in growing awareness in the wider community that the media is in fact an area that we, as concerned citizens, can take action on. Not can we use it as a way of bettering our media environment, but as a transitional measure to fight for the better world we all crave.
Last month, over 3,500 people attended the National Media Reform Conference in the United States. It showed the growth in the dissenting voices willing to stand up to the mainstream media, the Bush administration and their corporate buddies in the States.
The movement has opened a space for debate, not just about how media is run but also more generally about how society is run as a whole. Many journalists are re-examining the control of the media and the values we hold for humanity. This has opened up a space for the social movements to influence the debate to not just aim for liberal reforms, but to see it as a part of a broader structural change that we need in society.
What is media reform?
The key areas being addressed by the media reform movement at present are:
- Legislating to end media consolidation and monopolistic tendencies
- Demanding that the broader public interest be served by media outlets
- More support for localized services representing diverse community voices
- fund public media properly
- fight for net neutrality and save the internet from corporate takeover
- expose corporate media and fake news
What can Media Reform achieve?
Opening up the media environment will allow the possibility for more messages to pass in to the public domain. The above demands will help bring alternative media into the everyday consciousness. This will show up the contradictions in corporate media and ultimately it can help promote further demands of community ownership of media and a changing in the role of journalists and media organisations from controllers of the news to enablers of public discussion. This has flow on effect, in getting people to think about how life in a capitalist state does not fulfill the needs of the people. This is important to Australians because we have one of the most consolidated media landscapes in the world.
Media reform is a huge issue that affects the entire community. It affects the community’s right to know as well as the right to become a part of the debate in society. However, this mass support has been held back by the current capitalist conception of journalism. Far from a “free market of ideas”, mainstream journalism today is a controlled entity. This allows for easier manipulation by the corporates that pay the journalists their wages. This has resulted in a media landscape obsessed with celebrity, crime and sex, and this is just in their coverage of parliamentary politics!
It is important that we do not look on this issue as simply a liberal demand. As Trotsky tells us in the Transitional Program, these issues can not only be pushed to create change in our media, but to take steps towards a truely democratic world.
Venezuela
The media reform debate directly affects the debate surrounding the current advances of the revolution in Venezuela. Contrary to what is printed in the mainstream press, many reformers are becoming convinced by the actions of the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela. When the Venezuelan government decided to not renew the licence of a coup plotting corporate TV station (that restarted on cable!), a debate broke out in the alternative media sphere.
For example, In Adbusters an article appeared condemning the decision. In the subsequent issues many letters were published by the magazine criticizing the hypocrisy of such a decision by a magazine that calls for an end to lowest common denominator journalism that is being dished up by the corporate press. Adbusters allowed the debate to happen in a way which wouldn’t have happened in the corporate media. Two issues later, this resulted in a positive article on Venezuela being printed. Put simply not everyone in the media is ready to simply accept the right wing mainstream reporting backed up by the National Endowment for Democracy aligned organisations like Reporters without Borders and Human Rights Watch. Radical Canadian writer Naomi Klein echoed this sentiment at length in her latest book- The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. This is also shown in the work of U.S. based media advocacy organisation FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) and their popular magazine: Extra.
It is important we realise the money Venezuela has put into community media as a means of building a real sense of community throughout Venezuela. Our own government, on the other hand, continued to cut funding to public and community media. This has resulted in community TV stations not being able to make the switch to Digital TV and condemning them to certain death (as we have already started to see with Access31 in Perth shutting down and Briz31 in Brisbane on its last legs). These decisions have been a conscious decision by the powers that be in order to stifle debate. Why does the government need a propaganda ministry, when the corporate media can already do a good enough job of keeping people quiet?
The Present Juncture
This issue is especially important now because we are at an important juncture in time. Digital TV is just kicking off. Politicians are weighing up whether they can get away with enforcing attacks on net neutrality. A scary vision at a time when the internet is increasingly being used in more diverse and interesting ways to provide alternative news to the mainstream. An alternative vision to this exists. It’s all about giving the media back to the people to serve the interest of the community. It has to reinvigorate community which is all about intensifying real community debate. It is all about changing the nature of journalism and journalists.
The Here and Now of Media Reform
So what role do we have here and now? There are a bunch of possibilities of how we can help build the media reform movement in Australia. It’s all about supporting radical writers, creating more space for critiques of the media and encouraging media related demands at rallies. We should also continue trying to get more people involved in telling their own stories through the many forms of alternative media. Also, we want to try and grow the links between alt. media outlets. In doing this we also want to aim to build and extend the links between other alt media and the social movements while democratising their processes to allow maximum participation.
These are all small steps in growing awareness in the wider community that the media is in fact an area that we, as concerned citizens, can take action on. Not can we use it as a way of bettering our media environment, but as a transitional measure to fight for the better world we all crave.
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